Time in Christian preaching underscores the transient nature of earthly life and the urgency of living with eternal perspective. Illustrations often depict time as a relentless force that consumes all worldly things, urging believers to invest in what endures beyond the temporal (James 4:14). It serves as a reminder of human mortality and the importance of stewardship over the limited moments given (Psalm 90:12).
"Impatience is the price that all time-worshipers must pay. If Americans are not the most time-conscious of all people, why then does American English contain more references to the concept of time than any spoken language currently in use?" Meador & Chisholm, WALK WITH ME (Ventura CA: Regal Books, 1990), p. 53.
Some 20 years ago Ralph Abernathy was scheduled to speak at a conference in Minneapolis. He was late in arriving, partly due to tight security necessary because of death threats. When he rose to speak he apologized for his lateness by saying: "I'd rather be Dr. Abernathy late than the late Dr. Abernathy."
Lost Letter Arrives 76 Years Late. Doraville, GA (AP)--The letter began, "I guess you think I'm quite a little [late] while in writing." That's putting it mildly. The letter arrived two generations late. Postmarked Jan. 27, 1919 and intended for Mary Turnbow, the letter was delivered 76 years later to the home of Turnbow's granddaughter, Kathy Kilgore. It bore a 3-cent stamp. The letter originally was sent to Turnbow in Hazel, Ky., by her sister-in-law in Bowling Green, Ky. But it disappeared along the way and didn't reappear until recently in Louisville, Ky. It was then forwarded to Hazel Postmaster Donald Crawford, who located Kilgore with the help of a local bank teller. (Fredericksburg, VA, FREE LANCE-STAR, 1/10/95)
In a "Calvin and Hobbs" cartoon a frazzled Calvin quips, "God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I'm so far behind I'll never die."
"The man who is always punctual in keeping an appointment never loses anything by it. No, only about half an hour waiting for the other fellow to show up!"
Punctuality--"The art of guessing how late the other fellow is going to be."
Boss: "You are twenty minutes late again. Don't you know what time we start work at this factory? New Employee: "No, sir, they're always at it when I get here."
To realize the value of one year, ask a student who has failed his exam. To realize the value of one month, ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby. To realize the value of one week, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper. To realize the value of one day, ask a daily wage laborer who has six kids to feed.
--Glen Thompson, missionary to The Philippines
[I have seen this used very effectively with different sized balls, instead of rocks, and the matter of settling the important decisions in your life, with the most important being that for Jesus Christ. RGH]
A while back I was reading about an expert on the subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration I'm sure those students will never forget. After I share it with you, you'll never forget it either.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he smiled and asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted.
Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us this: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all."
What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life or business? Then, put those in your jar first.
"PROCRASINATOR'S CREED"
1. I believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have
been done already.
2. I shall never move quickly, except to avoid more work or
find excuses.
3. I will never rush into a job without a lifetime of
consideration.
4. I shall meet all of my deadlines directly in proportion
to the amount of bodily injury I could expect to receive
from missing them.
5. I firmly believe that tomorrow holds the possibility
for new technologies, astounding discoveries, and a
reprieve from my obligations.
6. I truly believe that all deadlines are unreasonable
regardless of the amount of time given.
7. I shall never forget that the probability of a
miracle, though infinitesmally small, is not exactly
zero.
8. If at first I don't succeed, there is always next year.
9. I shall always decide not to decide, unless of
course I decide to change my mind.
10. I shall always begin, start, initiate, take the
first step, and/or write the first word, when I get
around to it.
11. I obey the law of inverse excuses which demands that the
greater the task to be done, the more insignificant the
work that must be done prior to beginning the greater
task.
12. I know that the work cycle is not plan/start/finish, but
is wait/plan/plan.
13. I will never put off until tomorrow, what I can forget
about forever.
14. I will become a member of the ancient Order of
Two-Headed Turtles (the Procrastinator's Society) if
they ever get it organized.
SIX STEPS TO HELP YOU OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION
Dick Marcear
Most of us live our lives like we watch TV-- the program is not too good, but we are too lazy to get up and change the channel. Knowing what you need to do is not enough. We must be doers (James 1:22).
I'd like to share with you six steps that can help you get out of your rut and into action:
1) STOP TALKING AND DECIDE TO DO IT! Proverbs 14:23. Stop talking about losing weight, going to church every Sunday, etc., and do it.
2) SET A DEADLINE. Someone said, "A diet is what you put off while you are putting on." Resolve, I will lose 10 pounds in 30 days. I will read through the New Testament by September 15. Deadlines get you moving.
3) LEARN TO MASTER YOUR MOODS (Proverbs 16:32). Often we don't distinguish between "I can't" and "I don't want to." If you only pray or study the Bible when you feel like it, rest assured Satan will make certain that you will not feel like it.
4) BURN YOUR BRIDGES BEHIND YOU. Do not leave another way open. Leave your only option open as the one to move ahead.
5) TAKE THE FIRST STEP. This is the hardest. NASA says the rockets we launch to outer space require the majority of the fuel to get the rocket the first 30 feet off the ground. That's the hardest part for all of us too.
6) BE OPTIMISTIC. Remind yourself of the benefits for completion. Keep thinking what you'll receive, win or have when through.
What have you been putting off? DO IT NOW!
--Beltline Beacon, Decatur, AL
When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour,
it seems like a minute.
But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute,
and it's longer than any hour.
That's relativity.
- Albert Einstein
Every morning you are handed 24 golden hours. They are one of the few
things in this world that you get free of
charge. If you had all the money in the world, you couldn't
buy an extra
hour. What will you do with this priceless treasure? Remember,
you must use it, as it is given only once. Once wasted you cannot get
it back.
-- unknown
Yesterday is like a cancelled check. Tomorrow is a promissory note.
Today is like ready cash. Use it wisely, for today is the most
precious possession you can have.
Shortly after he opened his first plant, Thomas Edison noticed that his employees were in the habit of watching the lone factory clock. To the inventor who was an indefatigable worker, this was incomprehensible. He did not indicate his disapproval verbally. Instead he had dozens of clocks placed around the plant, no two keeping the same time. From then on clock watching led to so much confusion that nobody cared what time it was.
Today is our handle on eternity, the only time for which God holds us accountable.
Epitaphs often make stimulating reading - and challenging writing. How would you begin to summarize in a sentence, for example, the life of King David? Would you herald his conquests and bravery in battle? Ought you to report his deep repentance and intimate walk with God? Should you spend your single sentence to tell of David's hearty piety, cultivated as it was in nature's nursery, then honed by daily dependence on the Almighty?
I am fascinated by the way the apostle Paul encapsulated David's greatness. This man after God's own heart, said the apostle in his synagogue sermon at Pisidian Antioch, "served his OWN GENERATION by the will of God, and fell asleep" (Acts 13:36). A mere dozen words, yet they convey one of the highest verbal laurels awarded any person in all of Scripture. They also disclose one key to David's greatness: he made good use of that priceless treasure called "today."
Today. It is, after all, the only day we ever have. It is our handle on eternity, an elusive and invisible bit of time of whose species our whole lifetimes consist. It is all God holds us accountable for. Very shortly it will be gone, recalled by its Maker and sealed for his final reckoning, not to be repeated or altered forever. That is the ever-timely significance of David's epitaph spoken at Antioch. Its message still rings true and clear, amid the competitive din of so much clamor and clatter. Ours is no day of still, small voices. The person who inhabits today has many neighbors. David names three groups of them in the first Psalm.
First are the SCOFFERS, the outright rebellious, those who flagrantly challenge all that is right and true. They are few in number, but they are frequently strong of voice. Further disguising their real weakness, these hostile hustlers often make megaphones of the mass media, turning Gideon's ancient trick into a ploy against the people of God. David, too, lived among such scoffers.
More numerous, but serving the same cause, are those of the second group, whom David labeled the SINNERS. These people are far from being persecutors. They are moral lemmings. They abandon themselves to "what feels good," and follow wherever their lusts may lead.
The psalmist's third category is the UNGODLY. They comprise the godless majority. They do not consciously oppose God; they do not think of him at all. They are not licentious or profligate. They are often ideal neighbors, model citizens of whom the whole community is proud. But their very civility often poses the greatest danger to the progress of faith, for we see the "practical atheists" prosper.
Yet not all our neighbors are as happy as they appear. If we listen, we will hear occasional cries for help from screen and stage, from literature and ail, sometimes from the man or woman next door. Scattered among today's godless, sinners, and scoffers are some who know they have a problem. These people sense a universe that is overwhelmingly vast, and they are hopelessly without direction. They feel very little and very lost. For such people there is infinitely good news: God knows where they are all the time, and in Jesus of Nazareth he has come right down to their place. That is the miracle of the Incarnation: God has found us and become one of us, to lead us out of our lostness and back to himself. This is the word for our time - as surely as it was for Paul's.
"Our time." How we are bound to it, even when we chafe under the limitation. We live now. We cannot live in the past, which memory generally paints in misleading pastels anyway, and which romanticism, left unbridled, distorts beyond all recognition. Nor can we live in the future, a time as brutal as it is imaginary. The future has always been unmerciful to dreamers, shattering their utopian visions without pity when it finally comes to power. No; like it or not, we live now, today. We have no choice in the matter.
The authors of Scripture knew this well. Its heroes and heroines all had a sense of time. They had a sense of THEIR time. Paul urges believers to be clever in the marketplace where minutes are the wares (Eph. 5:16). Evil days cannot excuse our failure here, he warns. Bad times only make obligation plainer, duty more pressing.
And what is our duty? To meet the SCOFFERS head-on, answering their accusations with holy lives, turning their scorn into praise by continual good works (1 Pet. 2:9-11). We are to live the daily fife that befits God's new creation in Jesus, convicting SINNERS of their dark ways by turning on the light (Eph. 5:1-14). We are reverently to "work out" the salvation God "works in" us. Such personal discipleship is to be reinforced by local fellowships of the redeemed, model communities that demonstrate the way of reconciliation even as they hold it out in word. To the UNGODLY, SUCH lives will shine like stars on a dark night (Phil. 2:12-15).
Our duty is to fill David's prescription, found in Psalm 37. He challenges us to trust in God - and keep on doing what is good; to pursue the greatest pleasure - not in lust, but in the Lord; to commit ourselves to God himself, rather than to the pursuit of perishables; and then to wait patiently for God's day of reckoning, knowing we have served him well in our own day. We do not need new instructions. We just need to follow the ones we have had all the time.
Here as always our greatest exemplar is the Lord Jesus. Keenly conscious of the divine purpose, Jesus always acted in keeping with the needs of the moment. Over and over again John tells us that Jesus spoke of his "hour." Our Lord did not despise any time or belittle any opportune moment. No occasion was unworthy of his attention, or his loving service. The result was that he "always" did the Father's will (John 8:29).
Let us not be deceived by the sophisticated trappings of our time and place. Even with our plethora of plans and programs, of gimmicks and gadgets, of technologies and bureaucracies and ministries and methodologies, God's call remains the same. It is the same to us as it was to David, or to Paul, or-in this respect - to Jesus. The question is clear and to the point. Do we serve our OWN GENERATION by the will of God? We can really do no more. Surely we can attempt no less.
____________________________
Edward Fudge - publisher, evangelist, and author of numerous books - is a lay evangelical scholar, and active in the Evangelical Theological Society. He resides in Athens, Alabama.
*
An ethics professor at Princeton Seminary asked for volunteers for an extra assignment. Fifteen students showed up. He divided the group of fifteen into three groups of five each. He instructed the first group of five to proceed immediately across the campus to a certain spot; if they did not get there in fifteen minutes their grade would be affected. A minute or two later he instructed the second group to also proceed across the campus to the same spot; but they were given forty-five minutes to get there. After they left he instructed the last group to go across the campus to that spot too; but they were given three hours for the trip. Now, unknown to any of these students, the teacher had arranged with three students from the Drama Department to meet them along the way, acting as people in great need: the first one they met covered his head with his hands and moaned out loud as though in great pain; the second, a little bit further along the way, was on some steps lying face down as if unconscious; the third, on the very steps of the destination, acted out an epileptic seizure. You know what the ethics professor discovered? Not one of the first group stopped, two of the second group stopped, and all five of the third group stopped.
General Eisenhower is quoted as saying, "The urgent is seldom
important, and the important is seldom urgent." Too often life is
controlled by the "tyranny of the urgent". We put aside higher and
more worthy goals to put out fires.
Let's evaluate the importance of all of our daily activities to be
sure we're not victims of the "Tyranny of the Urgent".
Just a tiny little minute
######only sixty seconds in it
Forced upon me. Can't refuse it.
######Didn't seek it, didn't choose it,
I must suffer if I loose it,
######Give account if I abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute,
######but eternity is in it.
-- Selected
Though the following story comes from the distant past, it speaks
forcefully to the present: King Henry IV of France once asked the
Duke of Alva if he had observed the great eclipse of the sun that had
recently occurred. "No," said the duke, "I have so much to do on the
earth that I have no leisure to look up into heaven." Commenting on
this, Thomas Brooks said, "It is sad to think how heart and time are
so taken up with earthly things that we have no leisure to look to
Christ and the things that belong to everlasting peace." Yes, how
foolish is the person who caters entirely to this temporal world! It
gives only momentary pleasure, and cannot bring the eternal rewards of
Heaven. Jesus told us, "...seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
(\reference{Mt. 6:33}{Matthew 6:33}).
A flurry of magazine articles has probed what seems to be a growing
trend among those at the top of American business. A surprising
number of high-level managers, corporate presidents and chief
executive officers, and Wall Street wizards are simply walking away
from their positions. Their reasons? A simpler life, more time with
family, less travel or stress, or the chance to follow a dream. The
sudden resignation of one top Wall Streeter sent shock waves all over
the financial world. While most struggle to imitate these people's
attainments, they have found something that outweighs the value of
what they used to have.
To remember slights or insults, To cherish grudges that rob me of
happiness. To waste time in doing things that are of no value. To let
past sins or mistakes cloud future happiness. To miss making friends
because I am too busy making money. To give my youth ot the devil and
my old age to God. To dream of tomorrow when I may never have one. To
put off making a confession of Christ NOW!
When a young man sits next to a hot stove, a minute seems like an
hour. But when a beautiful girl sits next to that young man, an hour
seems like a minute.
I have only just a minute, Only sixty seconds in it, Thrust upon me,
can't refuse it, Didn't seek it, didn't choose it, But it's up to me
to use it. I must suffer if I lose it, Give account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute, But eternity is in it.
- Selected
Time wears all his licks before, Take thou hold upon his forehead;
When he flies he turns no more, And behind his scalp is naked. Works
adjourned have many stays; Long demurs breed new delays.
On one occasion when young in experience I had written my
preacher-father telling him of my troubles and feeling sorry for
myself. His reply was something like this:
###### Son, by the time you take childhood off one end of your life and
old age
######off the other end, you don't have much time for doing good.
Make the
######best of your time."
That was a gentle yet impressive rebuke I have never forgotten.
You don't have time to complain and find fault.
- Authur Ely
While there is time, Lord, May I use it well, 'Tis gone in a moment,
One can never tell Which day is our last one, With so much to do, All
must be in order, When summoned by You.
While there is time, Lord, And life is my own, Let me bring gladness
To someone alone. Renew a small hope, Rekindle a dream, For shadows
are never As dark as they seem.
While there is time, Lord, Let me not waste The chances You give me, I
cannot replace. Lend me Your wisdom, That I may learn To give of
myself, Nor ask a return.
Let me be gentle, Keep my words kind, In spite of the worries,
Crossing my mind. And when at long last, Life's sun starts to set, Let
me have never A cause to regret.
- Grace E. Easley
Here's how your church families spend their week:
######Work and Chores######
54 hours
######Sleeping###### 50 hours
######Watching Television 49
hours*
######Recreation 13 hours
######Chruch
Activities 3 hours
* Based on Nielsen television research
- Statistics represent estimates based on demographic studies
I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time.
I am your next chance at the art of living.
I am your opportunity to practice what you have learned about life during the last twelve months.
All that you sought and didn't find is hidden in me, waiting for you to search it but with more determination.
All the good that you tried for and didn't achieve is mine to grant when you have fewer conflicting desires.
All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do, all that you hoped but did not will, all the faith that you claimed but did not have -- these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.
I am your opportunity to renew you allegiance to Him who said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
See: Jeremiah 17:7-8
*
"The secret lies in how we handle today, not yesterday or tomorrow. Today - that special block of time holding the key that locks out yesterday's nightmares and unlocks tomorrow's dreams."
Charles Swindoll
Clergyman and writer
Cited in BITS & PIECES
"Unlike other resources, time cannot be bought or sold, borrowed or stolen, stocked up or saved, manufactured, reproduced, or modified. All we can do is make use of it. And whether we use it or not, it nevertheless slips away."
-- Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber, writer, cited in BITS & PIECES (B&P)
"When I think of how quickly time flies, I am always sorry that I did not do better yesterday or last year, because that particular opportunity will never come again. But I comfort myself with thinking that the opportunity to do better next time lies before me."
-- Edward Chipman Guild (1831 - 1899), clergyman and lecturer (B&P)
"Time is a created thing. To say, 'I don't have time' is like saying 'I don't want to...'"
-- Lao-Tzu (c. Sixth century B.C.), philosopher (B&P)
"You may delay, but time will not."
-- Benjamin Franklin, scientist and statesman (B&P)
"If we take care of the minutes, the years will take care of themselves."
-- Benjamin Franklin, scientist and statesman (W&W)
"A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller."
-- Paul Klee, painter (B&P)
"Man must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind him to the fact that each moment of your life is a miracle and a mystery."
-- H.G. Wells (1866 - 1946), writer and historian (B&P)
"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you."
-- Carl Sandburg (1878 - 1967), writer (B&P)
"Waste of time is the most extravagant of all expense."
-- Theophrastus (c. 372-287 B.C.), philosopher (B&P)
"Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over."
-- Paul J. Meyer, self-improvement expert (B&P)
"Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch."
-- George Carlin (http://www.bigwacko.com/)
"In just two days, tomorrow will be yesterday."
-- author unknown
“Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.”
-- Earl Nightingale
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
-- H. Jackson Brown, Wit & Wisdom 5/6/04
I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom. I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries. I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank. "Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.
I'm not sure what others would've done had they known that they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them. I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.
And every morning when I open my eyes, tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.
If you received this it is because someone cares for you. If you're too busy to take the few minutes that it takes right now to forward this, would it be the first time you didn't do the little thing that would make a difference in your relationships? I can tell you it certainly won't be the last. Take a few minutes to send this to a few people you care about, just to let them know that you're thinking of them. "People say true friends must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands because they know the other hand will always be there." I don't believe in miracles. I rely on them.
-- Author unknown
*
Teach me, O God, to use all the circumstances of my life today
that they may bring forth in me the fruits of holiness rather
than the fruits of sin.
Let me use disappointment as material for patience:
Let me use success as material for thankfulness:
Let me use suspense as material for perseverance:
Let me use danger as material for courage:
Let me use reproach as material for longsuffering:
Let me use praise as material for humility:
Let me use pleasures as material for temperance:
Let me use pains as material for endurance.
__________________
John Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer
*
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know, the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles."
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of " a thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic.
The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part."
"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again."
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.
[for a similar illustration, see #1572]
*
The Russian submarine Kursk sank after two powerful explosions on August 12, 2000, killing most of the crew instantly. But some of the sailors survived the initial blast. Officials found a note in the pocket of one of the recovered submariners saying that 23 sailors had remained trapped alive in the ninth compartment for at least several hours after the powerful explosions that sank the submarine.
Russian Orthodox priest Daniil Topolev, who served the first liturgy for the submarine sailors after the accident, speaking on the grounds of his small church in the Barents port of Murmansk, near Severomorsk, said the fact that some of the sailors did not die immediately was significant in Orthodox tradition.
"They had time to repent. That's already good. Those who died at once, maybe they had time to cross themselves and say: Lord, save us. And those who remained, could repent," he said.
*
Never found the Time
I knelt to pray but not for long,
I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time
To spread a word of cheer.
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do,
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need
But at last the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord,
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in his hands God held a book;
It was the book of life.
God looked into his book and said
"Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down...
But never found the time."
*
We Don't Have Time Not To
Read: Luke 18:1-8
Men always ought to pray and not lose heart. --Luke 18:1
Bible In One Year: Mark 7-10
Things we ought to do, but we don't take the time to do:
* Balance our checkbook.
* Change our car's oil and filter.
* Get a physical examination.
* Pray.
That's right, pray!
Jesus said that we "always ought to pray and not lose heart" (Lk. 18:1). And the apostle Paul exhorted believers to "pray without ceasing" (1 Th. 5:17).
We know that our lives would be deeper and fuller, and that we would be better prepared to face life's challenges if we would talk to God. But so often we do not take the time, and as a result we feel spiritually dry and weak.
In his book Prayer: A Holy Occupation, Oswald Chambers wrote, "We can hinder the time that should be spent with God by remembering we have other things to do. 'I haven't time.' Of course you have not time! Take time, strangle some other interests and make time to realize that the center of power in your life is the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement."
If we fail to balance our checkbook, service our car, or get a physical exam, we can run into serious problems. But if we neglect prayer, we will lose our spiritual power.
We don't have time not to pray. --DCE
I must tell Jesus all of my trials;
I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me;
He ever loves and cares for His own. --Hoffman
If we are too busy to pray, we are too busy.
Honesty/Life/Time
A lawyer dies in a car accident on his 40th birthday and finds himself greeted at the Pearly Gates by a brass band. Saint Peter runs over, shakes his hand and says "Congratulations!!!"
"Congratulations for what?" asks the lawyer.
"Congratulations for what?!?!?" says Saint Peter. "We're celebrating the fact that you lived to be 160 years old."
"But that's not true," says the lawyer. "I only lived to be forty."
"That's impossible," says Saint Peter. "We've added up your time sheets."
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but less solutions; more medicine, but less wellness.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
=========================
Another version by Rev. Gillmartin (formerly #4896):
Have we not built taller buildings, but developed shallower views; built wider roads, only to gain shorter tempers; purchased more, but possess little; spent more, only to enjoy it less.
We’ve bigger houses, smaller families, and more conveniences, but less time to enjoy them; acquired degrees, with less wisdom; procured more knowledge, but abandoned commonsense; groomed many experts, yet we’ve more problems; developed better pharmaceuticals, resulting in manifold health-phobias.
We’ve increased our possessions, but lowered values. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, but not life to years. We love too little and hate too much.
We've been to the moon, but not to our neighbors.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we clean the air, but pollute the soul; we've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice; we’ve higher incomes, but lower morals; we're long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are times of tall men, with short character; Mt. Everest profits, and Dead Sea relations.
We now have two parent incomes, giving us single parent children; elegant houses, but pathetic homes.
This is a time when man has much in his catalogue, but nothing in his distribution center.
Comments: A paradox is a contradiction which retains its truthfulness. Relativism has brought the world to the brink of global government yet with an "emperor has no clothes" mentality.
We go ahead and buy what looks or sounds good even though we suspect in advance it’s a facade. We receive God’s abundant blessings, yet discover we are poor managers of them; we credit ourselves for the gain, then receive God’s chastisement doing so.
Source/Attribution: © Sermon-Illustrations-Each-Week 1999
*
Èeši jsou nejpracovitìjší národ na svìtì.
Alespoò podle statistik. V zamìstnání tráví prùmìrnì 45 h týdnì a suverennì kralují svìtovemu žebøiku nadmìrnì pracujících národù. V Evropì jim mohou konkurovat snad jen Švýcaøi a Turci, v celém svìtì pak jedinì Korejci. O tom jestli Èeši dokážou díky delší prácovní dobì také více vyrobit, však vìtšina manažerù a ekonomù pochybuje.
56,000 Hours
Read: Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. --Ecclesiastes 2:24
By age 50, a person who has worked fulltime since college will have put in about 56,000 hours of work. Whether you're teaching school, working as a nurse, running a press, or whatever else you do, that's a lot of time.
Keep that in mind and look at what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 2:17. "I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity."
Think of 56,000 hours of worthless activity. That's 28 years of a career spent "grasping for the wind."
But wait. There's more. Keep reading in chapter 2. Hope shines through the otherwise dull efforts of the workplace--there can be satisfaction in work. Joy comes when work is done to please God (Eccl. 2:24-26; Col. 3:23-25). So all of our work, when done as a service to our Lord, has significance.
An airline employee who was struggling through a long delay in a flight's departure kept her composure as the passengers grew angrier. When someone asked her name so he could write a letter of commendation, she replied, "Oh, I don't work for this airline. I work for Jesus Christ."
Imagine the value of 56,000 hours of work done with that attitude! There's nothing better! --JDB
O what can I give to the Master,
The One who from sin set me free?
I'll give Him a lifetime of service
To thank Him for dying for me. --K. De Haan
Daily work takes on eternal value when it is done for God.
The problem with waiting until tomorrow is that when it finally arrives, it is called today. Today is yesterday's tomorrow. The question is what did we do with its opportunity? All too often we will waste tomorrow as we wasted yesterday, and as we are wasting today. All that could have been accomplished can easily elude us, despite our intentions, until we inevitably discover that the things that might have been have slipped from our embrace a single, unused day at a time.
Each of us must pause frequently to remind ourselves that the clock is ticking. The same clock that began to tick from the moment we drew our first breath will also someday cease.
Time is the great equalizer of all mankind. It has taken away the best and the worst of us without regard for either. Time offers opportunity but demands a sense of urgency.
When the game of life is finally over, there is no second chance to correct our errors. The clock that is ticking away the moments of our lives does not care about winners and losers. It does not care about who succeeds or who fails. It does not care about excuses, fairness or equality. The only essential issue is how we played the game.
Regardless of a person's current age, there is a sense of urgency that should drive them into action now - this very moment. We should be constantly aware of the value of each and every moment of our lives - moments that seem so insignificant that their loss often goes unnoticed.
We still have all the time we need. We still have lots of chances - lots of opportunities - lots of years to show what we can do. For most of us, there will be a tomorrow, a next week, a next month, and a next year. But unless we develop a sense of urgency, those brief windows of time will be sadly wasted, as were the weeks and months and years before them. There isn't an endless supply!
So as you think of your dreams and goals of your future tomorrow, begin today to take those very important first steps to making them all come to life.
*
Ozymandias
I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert ... Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works ye mighty and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
-- Percy Bysshe Shelley
Ozymandias, incidentally, was Rameses II, who was survived by his pyramid if nothing else. The poem itself was inspired by a shattered colossus in the Ramesseum, his funeral temple, of which the Encyclopedia Britanica says 'This temple is identified with the "Tomb of Osymandias" (a corruption of Ramses II's prenomen) described by the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus in the 1st century BC' - an inscription on the statue's base read:
I am Ozymandias, King of kings.
If anyone would know how great I am and where I lie,
let him surpass any of my works.
===================
See also http://www.savagenet.com/oz/Oz/real.htm for information on the real Ozymandias, including this which is probably originally from Time magazine's site:
Ramesses II [is] perhaps the best known of all the pharaohs, the ruler believed to have been Moses' nemesis in the book of Exodus. "Egyptians do not call him Ramesses II," Sabry Abd El Aziz, director of antiquities for the Qurna region, told TIME correspondent Lara Marlowe last week, as she and photographer Barry Iverson became the first Western journalists to enter the tomb since the new discoveries were announced. "We call him Ramesses al-Akbar--Ramesses the Greatest."
No wonder. During his 67 years on the throne, stretching from 1279 B.C. to 1212 B.C., Ramesses could have filled an ancient edition of the Guinness Book of Records all by himself: he built more temples, obelisks and monuments; took more wives (eight, not counting concubines) and claimed to have sired more children (as many as 162, by some accounts) than any other pharaoh in history. And he presided over an empire that stretched from present-day Libya to Iraq in the east, as far north as Turkey and southward into the Sudan.
Ramesses is also much celebrated outside of Egypt, though many Westerners probably don't connect the name with the fame. In Exodus he is simply known as "Pharaoh," and Shelley's poem Ozymandias, inspired by the fallen statues at the Ramesseum, his mortuary temple at Thebes, takes its title from the Greek version of one of the ruler's alternate names, User-maat-re. "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" said the inscription on the pharaoh's statue in Shelley's sonnet. Though the poet was making the point that such boasts are hollow because great monuments eventually decay, Ramesses' achievements were truly magnificent.
==================
Commentary by teacher Sam Swope in Newsweek's "My Turn," December 20, 2004:
I was Mr. Witt's student in 1970 and remember just a single lesson, one on the poem “Oxymandias.” Like me, most of my classmates were anti-establishment. I vaguely recall some joking comparison of Nixon to Ozymandias, his famous nose crumbling in the desert, but mostly I remember how quiet we all got when Mr. Witt focused our attention on the poem's stark implication that everyone and everything will ultimately be forgotten: Nothing beside remains. In a voice so quiet it startled me, he said, “This isn't a poem I can think about when I'm shaving.”
This came as a revelation. I'd never realized poetry could have so powerful an effect, and because I wanted that intensity of feeling, too, I read “Ozymandias” until I'd memorized it. In the end, it never unnerved me as it had Mr. Witt, but over the years it's been a valued companion, helping temper my pride and ambition.
The late William Arthur Ward was one of my favorite writers. His insights and ability to put a philosophy of life into a few words were truly remarkable. Here is a sample from his book, "Reward Yourself":
A man phoned his physician and excitedly exclaimed: "Please come at once, Doctor. My son has swallowed my fountain pen."
The doctor replied, "I'll be right over. But what are you doing in the meanwhile?"
"Using a pencil," answered the father.
What we do "in the meanwhile" is of vital importance to our lives - and to the lives of others. What we do "in the meanwhile" can build our character or destroy it. It can make our fortune or mar it.
What we do "in the meanwhile" ... presents a philosophy of life. Adopt it for your own, and you truly will reward yourself.
Three key words to remember: weigh, count and measure. Now why weigh, count and measure? To see what your results are from your activity, your attitude and your philosophy. If you find that the results are not to your liking, there are only three places to look. Your philosophy needs to be fine-tuned, your attitude needs to be strengthened or your disciplines need extra skill. But that's it. Activity, attitude and philosophy create results.
Now on results, here is what I teach the kids. Life expects you to make measurable progress in reasonable time. You must be reasonable with time. You can't say to someone every five minutes, how are you doing now? That's too soon to ask for a count. Guy says "I haven't left the building yet, give me a break!" Now you can't wait five years - that's too long. Too many things can go wrong waiting too long for a count to see how you're doing.
Here are some good time frames:
Number one - at the end of the day. You can't let more than a day go by without looking at some things and making progress. Old Testament says - if you are angry, try to solve it before the sun goes down. Don't carry anger for another day. It may be too heavy to carry. If you try to carry it for a week, it may drop you to your knees. So some things you must get done in a day.
Here's the next one - a week. We ask for an accounting of the week so we can issue the pay. And whatever you've got coming, that's what you get when the week is over. Now in business, there are two things to check in the course of the week. Your activity count and your productivity count. Because activity leads to productivity, we need to count both to see how we're doing.
My mentor taught me that success is a numbers game and very early he started asking me my numbers. He asked, "How many books have you read in the last ninety days?" I said, "Zero"; he said, "Not a good number." He said, "How many classes have you attended in the last six months to improve your skills?" And I said, "Zero." He said, "Not a good number." Then he said, "In the last six years that you've been working, how much money have you saved and invested?" I said, "Zero" and he said, "Not a good number." Then here's what he said, "Mr. Rohn, if these numbers don't change your life won't change, but," he said, "if you'll start improving these numbers, then perhaps you'll start to see everything change for you."
Success and results are a numbers game. John joins this little sales company. He's supposed to make 10 calls the first week just to get acquainted with the territory. So on Friday we call him in and say what? "How many calls?" He says, "Well." You say, "John, 'well' won't fit in the little box here. I need a number." Now he starts with a story. And you say, "John, the reason I made this little box so small is so a story won't fit. All I need is a number because, if you give us the number, we're so brilliant around here we could guess the story." It's the numbers that count. Making measurable progress in reasonable time.
Here's the best accounting. The accounting you make of yourself. Don't wait for the government to do it, don't wait for the company to do it. But you've got to add up some of your own numbers and ask, "Am I making the progress I want and will it take me where I want to go now and in the future?" You be the judge!
*
I was sitting on our front porch, and I saw our son-in-law Rick suddenly running full speed across the front yard, headed for the back yard, with his camera in his hand. With my incredible detective mind, I surmised that he had seen something that would make a great photo - something that apparently wasn't going to be there for long. Actually, he had seen our horse Misty running across the pasture with her mane flowing and beautifully illuminated by the setting sun. Having a wife who's taken some pretty amazing photos over the years, I understand this "seize the moment" thing that photographers have ... and you'd better not get in their way.
Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "While The Window's Open."
Photographer types understand a life-principle that a lot of us miss - that there are moments, opportunities in life that have to be seized - or they're missed forever. And it isn't just photographs. It's precious life moments where a window of opportunity opens for a brief time, maybe just a moment - and either we stop and take that opportunity, or we sometimes lose it for good.
Thus, God's counsel in Ephesians 5, beginning in verse 15, our word for today from the Word of God. He says, "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise." OK, so what does wise living look like? "Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."
Apparently, knowing and doing God's will in your life often depends on seeing the opportunity He has opened up for you and seizing that opportunity. Many of life's regrets are about opportunities we missed because we let them slip by. Like the aging businessman who says, "If only I'd spent more time with my family." As many times as I've heard that lament, I've never heard anybody say, "My only regret is I wish I'd spent more time in my business." When your child is ready to talk, you'd better drop everything and listen then - the window won't be open long. When your child is ready to be affectionate, you've got nothing more important to do than respond. When you son or daughter has time to be with you, you'd better have time to be with them.
The same applies to your mate, your parents, others that you love. Many a tear at a funeral is over opportunities we didn't take when this one we loved was still touchable, still thankable, still forgivable, still huggable. And how many chances do we have per day to simply compliment someone, encourage someone, stop and listen to someone. Those are God-moments - opportunities to be a channel of God's love into a person's life.
Most importantly, how many times do we pass up a God-given opportunity to talk about our relationship with Jesus Christ - when the eternity of that person may depend on hearing about our Jesus? Spirit-filled living involves making yourself available each new day to seize the opportunities God gives you in that day. If you're the kind of person that's all rigid, programmed and inflexible, you'll probably miss or ignore the many times the Holy Spirit is saying, "This is it - this is your chance. Do it now. Seize this moment!"
Like a photographer running to capture his picture before the moment passes, we need to capture the God-moments He weaves into each new day. Those scenes are just too good to miss!
________________
Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"
*
Here are some steps to help you find more time for getting things done in your life.
1. Use a “To Do” List. Write down everything that needs to be done. This is important! Let paper remember so that you can forget. List both personal as well as professional “to do’s.” This is a good way to help you decide what’s the best use of your time at any given time. Without this list, it’s too easy to concentrate on the immediate and not focus on what really needs to be done.
2. Always use a calendar. Choose a calendar that fits your needs and start using it. Use only ONE calendar. The process will enable you to keep track of how you’re investing your time. Each day, build in some flexibility to your schedule. Things won’t always go as planned. Choose your top priorities for the day. Do those things first and don’t fall into the trap of thinking everything on your list must be done today.
3. Give yourself a break! Keep a long-range perspective of what you’re doing. This philosophy is summed up in the following statement:
A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove, but the world may be different because I was important in the life of another human being.
So there you have it. Three easy steps to “creating” more time so that you can get done what really needs to be done.
”Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another gets a full year’s value out of a week.” — Charles Richards
There are three secrets to success:
• The first is “Keep your eyes and ears open.”
• The second is “Don’t tell everything you know.”
• !!!
Fatigue can produce extreme gentleness and quiet of mind and even something like a vision. — C. S. Lewis
Imagine an archeological dig hundreds of years in the future. On each human skeleton — young and old alike — the diggers find a shackle on the left wrist. Some people’s bonds are brilliant silver or gold, others appear to be leather or plastic. A few of these manacles are strangely ticking. It seems, the archeologists surmise, these people were ruled by this little ticking object. Perhaps they considered it a household god of sorts.
Well, our future archeologists wouldn’t be too far off. We are constantly ruled by our watches. We have fifteen minutes to do one thing. Two hours to do another. We’ve only got five minutes to visit a friend or twenty to take for lunch. Our lives, as the poet T.S. Eliot once said are “measured out with coffee spoons.” If we aren’t careful, this constant worry about time can strangle our relationships and stifle our days. Time can become an idol.
In her outstanding new book, TIME PEACE, my friend and former colleague Ellen Vaughn offers sound biblical principles on how to think about time. She says, “Time is not our enemy when we are friends with God. It is but a resource to be used, like food or oxygen. We can keep it, rather than be kept by it.”
Ellen reminds us that God gives us enough time each day to do His will for that day. She reminds us of the example of Jesus, who, while he had an urgent message, did not seem hurried or stressed. While his disciples yelled at people to go away, Jesus was not stingy with his time. But he also didn’t try to “do it all.” He did not heal everyone. He did not preach everywhere. He took time away from the pressing crowds and he lived well and completely, all within the constraints of time.
Like Christ, we are to seize our days for the kingdom, but not with anxiety. We trust God that the time we have to spend, if submitted to Him, is leaving a legacy which outlasts time itself.
In one moving story, Ellen tells of some missionaries to Vietnam in the mid 1960s. They knew it was dangerous to be in the country, so they had taken precautions, but they also knew that they had important work to do. One of the missionaries, Bob Ziemer, had three tactical goals he was trying to accomplish: translating the Bible into the local dialect, training indigenous leadership for the church, and finding local leadership for a leprosarium they’d started.
It was only days after those goals were accomplished that the Tet Offensive exploded throughout South Vietnam. Six of these missionaries were killed, but their families had the assurance that God had apportioned their days. As missionary Ruth Thompson put it in a letter home to her children in college some months before her death, “Don’t you know we are immortal until our work is done?” Understanding time from a biblical perspective, as Ellen Vaughn’s new book so skillfully shows us, can give us this same peace and focus as we live well in the time given us.
Time is not measured in the terms of the length of one’s life. It wasn’t cut short for Ruth Thompson. Ellen tells of going to Vietnam a few years ago, visiting the very area that Thompson worked in and seeing thriving churches. Her mission on earth was accomplished in God’s allotted time.
________
Copyright (c) 2007 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.
*
[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #3196]
Read Psalm 31:14-24
David often talked about God's hand and the hand of the enemy. "My times are in Your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me" (v. 15). That's a marvelous declaration of faith. And David didn't write it from a hotel suite somewhere. He was out in the Judean wilderness, where it was dark and dirty and dry. And he was being chased by Saul.
In writing "my times are in Your hand," David teaches us several lessons. First, time is important. If you waste time, you're wasting eternity. If you waste time, you're wasting opportunity. All I can give to God is my body, my ability and my time. And if I don't give Him my time, He can't use my body or my ability. Time is valuable -- don't waste it. Invest it.
Second, David reminds us how important surrender is. Who controls the available time we have when we're not working or doing the things that must be done to maintain life--that unregistered, undirected time? If we surrender to the Lord, He can control that time. I learned many years ago to turn my entire day over to Him at the beginning of every day. If I have interruptions, He's in control. If my plans are changed, He's in control.
Third, this leads to God's blessings for us. When our times are in His hand, we can trust Him; He has blessings especially prepared for us. "Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You" (v. 19). God has some wonderful blessings prepared for you today. But you are not going to enjoy them unless you truly say, "Lord, my times are in Your hand."
Time is perhaps your most basic resource. How you use God's gift of time has a profound effect not only on your life but on the lives of others. It's important that you surrender your time to His care. When you give God your time, you surrender it to His control. He will bless you for it.
Take some time to smell the flowers
As you walk the paths of life.
Take some time to ease the tensions
From the challenges and the strife.
Take some time to hear the birds sing
As they usher in the dawn.
Though the day be just emerging,
Too soon it will be gone.
Take some time to watch a sunrise,
Now and then a sunset too.
Just be sure that seeking pleasure
Isn’t all you ever do.
Take some time to count your blessings,
Though you feel they’re not that great.
You will find they’re more abundant
Than you thought, at any rate.
Take some time to banish hatred
When and where you can.
Just detest man’s evil ways
And not your fellow man.
Take some time to love your children
Every moment you are free.
The benefits exceedeth
A university degree.
Take some time to love your neighbor
And even more important still,
Take some time to love yourself
Or not many others will.
And if you don’t like that image
Of yourself that others see,
Take some time to make some changes,
Be the best that you can be.
Take some time to help another
Who you think might need a hand.
You will find the satisfaction
Leaves you feeling sort of grand.
Take some time to live by virtue
In the best way that is known,
And respect the rights of others
As equal to your own.
Take some time to just appreciate
The fact that you are here,
And to know that Higher Power
And to trust it without fear.
If you do these things with diligence
You will eventually be glad.
If you don’t attempt to do them
You may one day wish you had.
Although this no doubt could impose
Upon your time for seeking wealth,
There should be little question
That it could improve your health.
And though you might not be as wealthy
Nor drive so fine a car,
You’ll find you will be richer
In other ways by far.
Have you ever watched kids
on a merry-go-round
Or listened to the rain
slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last
Do you run through each day
on the fly
When you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last
Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow
And in your haste,
not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die’
Cause you never had time
to call and say “Hi”?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast
Time is short
The music won’t last
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift… Thrown away…
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
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